Time limits for tribunal claims

The Employment Rights Bill will extend time limits for bringing tribunal claims from three to six months.

Currently, most tribunal claims need to be brought within three months of the act complained of. A pledge to increase tribunal time limits was included in the Labour Party’s Plan to Make Work Pay:

‘We will improve and strengthen enforcement through employment tribunals to provide quicker and more effective resolutions. In line with the Law Commission recommendation in April 2020, we would increase the time limit within which employees are able to make an employment claim from three months to six months, bringing the time limit for all claims in line with the time limit for statutory redundancy and equal pay claims.’

For some reason, this was not initially included in the Bill. However, it has now been included in a scheduled list of amendments to the Bill. All employees will have six months to bring a claim. This will apply to all types of claims, including discrimination claims and unfair dismissal claims.

There is, as yet, no confirmed implementation date.